Questionable Conduct: The Jamaican Political Reality

Extradition of Christopher "Dudus" Coke involved among other things: * death of 69-73 persons * declaration of a limited state of emergency * resignation of a Prime Minister * use of mortars on a civilian population * armed intervention against the state * hiring of a law firm to lobby the US Government in an inter-state matter * resignation of a  Senator from the incumbent regime * commissioning of two(2) commissions of enquiry * payment by the state of damages incurred * the killing of Mr. Keith Clarke, at his residence in Upper St. Andrew, resulting in three (3) members                          of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) being charged with murder * involvement of a US military spy plane apparently without the knowledge and consent of either the Minister of National Security or the Minister of Defence (the Prime Minister) * military assistance provided by the USA to the Jamaican secur...

Below is the substance of the Warrant Of Arrest signed by Georgina Fraser, Resident Magistrate for theCorporate Area, dated May 18, 2010                                         THE EXTRADITION ACT 1991                                              WARRANT OF ARREST To all and each of the Constables of the Jamaica Constabulary Force: WHEREAS I have received from the Honourable Dorothy Lightbourne, Minister of Justice, an Authority to Proceed in the case of Christopher Michael Coke aka Michael Christopher Coke, aka Paul Christopher Scott, aka “Presi” aka “Gen- eral”, aka “President”, aka “Duddus”, aka “Shortman ” who is accused of the extradition offences of (1) Conspiracy to Distribute and to Possess with the Intent to Distribute 1,000 kilograms and more of mixtur...

The issue of the sufficiency, or otherwise, of the supporting evidence  accompanying the formal extradition request for Christopher "Dudus" Coke resurfaced during the cross-examination of Miss Dorothy Lightbourne at the Tivoli Commission of Enquiry. The focus was on the "other evidence"--ie that excluding the contested wire tape evidence. Dorothy Lightbourne, the former Attorney- General and Minister of Justice, has been consistent in maintaining that the evidence other than that pertaining to the wire taps was insufficient to establish a prima facie case. Nevertheless she signed the authority to proceed without a sufficient evidentiary basis. In the Manatt Enquiry, the following exchanges took place on Friday, March 11, 2011 between Mr. K.D. Knight and Miss Lightbourne: Q:   ..... Miss Lightbourne you had some reservations about the wire tap evidence that had been supplied by the US government, is that correct? A:  That is correct. Q:   If you exclude t...